India has ranked 40th out of 136 countries on Global Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017 published by World Economic Forum (WEF). This marks a commendable jump of 12 spots as compared to previous year’s rank.
Reasons for Improvement in India’s Ranking:
As per the report, some of the factors which contributed to this improvement are:
- International openness reflected through strong policy reforms such as implementing visa on arrival and e-visas.
- Improvements in the country’s surface transport infrastructure in terms of coverage as well as quality which facilitates travel and tourism.
Areas in which Improvement is required and other Opportunities:
The report highlighted that health conditions are still “inadequate”.
- Besides, information and communication technologies(ICT) readiness, security issues and human resources are improving, but have been adjudged as “weak”.
- Plethora of opportunities is available in the provision of tourist service infrastructure, increasing accommodation capacity and entertainment facilities.
- As stated by WEF, vast cultural and natural resources in addition to price competitiveness make India an attractive tourist destination. Owing to these unique selling propositions (USPs), India has seen a steady growth in international arrivals over the past 15 years, reaching the 9 million mark in 2016.
Top 10 of Global Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017:
| Rank | Country |
| Spain | 1st |
| France | 2nd |
| Germany | 3rd |
| Japan | 4th |
| United Kingdom | 5th |
| United States | 6th |
| Australia | 7th |
| Italy | 8th |
| Canada | 9th |
| Switzerland | 10th |
It is to be noted that all top 10 spots have been acquired by developed nations.The results of this report hold special significance as tourism is an important sector for national economy. It is estimated that tourism sector accounts for up to 1/10th of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment.
About Global Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017:
The report ranks 136 countries across following 14 dimensions placed under 4 sub-indexes:
| Sub-index | Dimension |
| ENABLING ENVIRONMENT | Business Environment |
| Safety and Security | |
| Health and Hygiene | |
| Human Resources and Labour Market | |
| ICT Readiness | |
| TRAVEL & TOURISM POLICY AND ENABLING CONDITIONS | Prioritization of Travel & Tourism |
| International Openness | |
| Price Competitiveness | |
| Environmental Sustainability | |
| INFRASTRUCTURE | Air Transport Infrastructure |
| Ground and Port Infrastructure | |
| Tourist Service Infrastructure | |
| NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES | Natural Resources |
| Cultural Resources and Business Travel |
The first Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report was published by WEF in the year 2007 covering 124 countries.
